Esther Mary “Jo” Fisher, nee Ewing (1929 – 2010)

Esther Fisher was born in Dawson to parents Elizabeth Belle and Matthew Henry Ewing. Her grandfather was Robert Henderson, a co-discoverer of Klondike gold. Jo’s nickname was a Scot’s term meaning sweetheart and was given to her by her mother. Jo grew up in Dawson and graduated from high school there. She and her cousin ordered fashionable clothing from Montreal. Jo went to Sir George Williams Business College in Montreal and attended the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.¹⁾

Esther met Kippy Fisher in Mayo when they were teenagers, and they married in Mayo in 1952. Jo worked for Gordon McIntyre in the Mayo mining recorder’s office. She was involved with the Women’s Auxiliary and the family spent time at Minto Lake. When children Elizabeth and Cathy were very young, the family moved to Whitehorse so Kippy could work for White Pass and they added to the family with children Mark, Kristine, and Nicole. Kippy started the Whitehorse Dairy Queen and Jo helped with the bookkeeping and other duties. She was very active in Whitehorse’s service clubs and volunteer groups. At the age of fifty-three, Jo and her two daughters, Liz and Cathy, became the owners and operators of Plantation Flowers and Gifts. She was a talented decorator and loved to host large family gatherings. She liked to travel but never considered living anyplace but the Yukon.²⁾